Nexter Systems and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann have completed their association

Upon all required approvals having been granted, Nexter Systems and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) have completed their association on 15 December 2015.

As a result, going forward, two of the leading European manufacturers of military land systems based in France and Germany will operate jointly under the umbrella of a holding company under Dutch law with headquarters in Amsterdam.

The sole shareholders of each of the two companies have transferred all their shares into the holding company who will operate in the legal form of an N.V.; in return they have each received 50 per cent of the shares in the umbrella company.

As part of the completion, the supervisory board of the joint holding company has also met in Amsterdam for its constitutive meeting. It comprises seven members and is chaired by the Belgium national, Christian Jourquin.

The French owner appointed Jean-Severin Deckers (APE-State Holding Agency) and Bertrand Le Meur (DGA-French defense procurement agency) to the supervisory board; the owners of KMW appointed Dr. Manfred Bode and Axel J. Arendt. Alongside the independent chairman of the supervisory board, both shareholders appointed Antoine Bouvier (CEO of MBDA) and Prof. Dr. Dr. Utz Hellmuth Felcht onto the board as additional independent members.

The supervisory board appointed the new CEO of Nexter Systems, Stéphane Mayer, and the chairman of the executive board of KMW, Frank Haun, as CEOs of the holding company.

Antoine BOUVIER

Antoine BOUVIER was named Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MBDA on 11th June 2007. Prior to joining MBDA and since January 2002, he had been CEO of ASTRIUM Satellites. Before that, he was Executive Vice President in charge of the Commercial Helicopter Division of Eurocopter, a role he took up in June 2001. In 1990, Antoine BOUVIER joined Aerospatiale as Assistant of the Director of the Civil Aircraft Division.

In 1991, he became Director of the Division’s Department of Strategic Analysis. From 1992 until 1994, he was Secretary General and Industrial Director of GIE ATR. From 1994 until 1998, he was Vice-President Operations of ATR, going on to become President of GIE ATR between 1998 and 2001. Antoine BOUVIER started his career as an auditor at the Cour des Comptes. He is a graduate from the Ecole Polytechnique (1981/1984) and from the Ecole Nationale d’Administration (1984-1986).